1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to gear tooth profile simulation apparatuses and methods, and machining tool edge surface simulation apparatuses and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gear machining simulation apparatuses known in the related art are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-237185 (JP 2014-237185 A) and Japanese Patent No. 4048090. To determine required motor performance, the simulation apparatus disclosed in JP 2014-237185 A calculates, for example, a cutting vector so as to compute a cutting force, and computes, in accordance with the cutting vector and the cutting force, a torque to be applied to a workpiece or a machining tool.
The simulation apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4048090 performs a gear cutting simulation in accordance with a blank model of a workpiece, a cutter model of a machining tool, and the relative positions of the models, thus generating a gear model from the blank model of the workpiece.
The simulation apparatus disclosed in JP 2014-237185 A is used for gear machining that involves: using a machining tool including on its outer periphery a plurality of tool edges; causing the central axis of a workpiece and the central axis of the machining tool to incline relative to each other and to be skew to each other; synchronously rotating the workpiece and the machining tool; and rectilinearly moving, in this state, the machining tool along the central axis of the workpiece.
Japanese Patent No. 4048090, however, mentions neither the gear machining described in JP 2014-237185 A nor a simulation to determine the shape of an edge surface from the shape of a tooth profile.